SAN FRANCISCO, CA — On Monday, Levi Strauss & Co introduced a new class of fellows for its Collaboratory, a program for entrepreneurs to work on innovative and tangible solutions to reduce the fashion industry’s climate impact.

In response, San Francisco-based environmental group Stand.earth is urging Collaboratory fellows to consider real climate change solutions that meet or beat the UN Paris Agreement on climate change by significantly reducing the fashion industry's overall carbon emissions and transitioning the fashion industry’s supply chain away from coal and other fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

“The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 8% of global climate pollution — if it were a nation, it would be the fourth largest climate polluter on Earth. Most of this climate pollution is hiding in the fashion industry’s supply chain — a fact that is grossly ignored by fashion industry leaders like Levi’s that make climate pledges for its stores and headquarters only."

“As the U.S. prepares for another devastating season of droughts and wildfires, leaders must address the fashion industry’s climate change problem. There’s only one way for the fashion industry to reduce its global climate impact at levels called for by the UN Paris Agreement — by proposing solutions that dramatically reduce pollution in its entire supply chain. The fashion industry doesn’t have the luxury to stand on the sidelines any longer.”

—Kristina Flores, Climate Campaigner, Stand.earth

Stand.earth launched its “Too Dirty To Wear” campaign in December 2017 calling on Levi’s to be a fashion industry leader in protecting our climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energy throughout its entire supply chain. Learn more: stand.earth/toodirtytowear.

In April 2018, Stand.earth released its “Too Deadly to Wear” report detailing the fashion industry’s and Levi Strauss & Co’s outsized role in the deadly impacts of climate change and air pollution across the globe. Read the report: http://fashion.stand.earth/.

The “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign calls on Levi’s to make the following climate commitments:

Make a leadership-level climate commitment for the full supply chain to meet or beat the Paris Climate Agreement, a 30-40% absolute reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

Transition the entire supply chain to renewable energy, with a minimum of 50% of energy sourced through renewables by 2035.

Commit to a long-term carbon emission reduction target of 66% by 2050 for the entire supply chain.